if we would ever reach Warburton. But Mr.
Eddie seemed to flow with time rather than
measure it, and eventually I relaxed and be
gan to enjoy my surroundings. It was not the
least of lessons he was to teach me.
THE FOLLOWING day was either a di
saster or a delight, depending on one's
viewpoint. By afternoon we had trekked
15 miles and were tired, hot, dusty, and fly
ridden. At 3 p.m. on the trail I tended to get
the blues. They weren't helped this time by a
column of red dust that gradually rose on the
horizon. Cars on the trail, though rare, fre
quently meant tourists, and I was in no
mood to be gawked at today.
These were worse than usual. The car
drew up beside us, and several men in silly
hats spilled out, festooned with cameras.
"Hey, Bruce," one yelled, "come look at
this gal, she's got asafety pin for an earring!"
"Will you look at those crazy sandals?
And she's got a boong with her!"
Now "boong" is the white's racist term for
an Aborigine, and Mr. Eddie is one of the
finest people I have ever known. Temper
sizzling, I pushed past the men's battery of
lenses, and attention shifted to Mr. Eddie.
"Me take photograph longa you, Jacky
Jacky," one of the tourists announced in
ghastly pidgin. "You stand by camel, there's
a good boy."
Behind me I caught the multiple click of
shutters; then all of a sudden Mr. Eddie
seemed to go berserk. Brandishing his walk
ing stick and giggling insanely, he drove the
tourists back to their car, alternately raving
in Pitjantjatjara and demanding payment
for the photographs in broken English.
The startled men beat a hasty retreat,
emptying their pockets of bills as they went.
Mr. Eddie tucked the money away as the car
vanished. Then he walked serenely over to
me, and we cracked up.
With tears streaming down my face I
thought of the Aborigines, how they had
been poisoned, slaughtered, herded into set
tlements, prodded, photographed, mea
sured, and left to rot with their shattered
pride and their cheap liquor. And here was
this superb old gentleman, who had lived
through it all,
(Continued on page 602)